Parques de Portugal

<p> <em>Circus pygargus</em> (Linnaeus, 1758)</p>

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  • Montagu's harrier

  • Circus pygargus (Linnaeus, 1758)

  • Accipitridae

  • The Montagu's harrier is a bird of prey with a slender body and long and narrow wings and tail. In the mating season the male exhibits a grey plumage with a black stripe on its wings and a white spot on the base of its tail. The female is brown and lighter on the ventral surface. It can grow to be 50 cm long and have 116 cm span.

  • Peneda-Gerês National Park

    Montesinho Nature Park

    Douro Internacional Nature Park

    Tejo Internacional Nature Park

    Vale do Guadiana Nature Park

    Estuário do Tejo Nature Reserve

  • Lisboa e Vale do Tejo

    Norte

    Centro

    Alentejo

  • Endangered

  • The Montagu's harrier inhabits predominantly in areas without trees such as brushwood, wheat fields, mountain pastures, estuaries, coastal dunes, hunting in wheat fields and fallow land with brushwood, in paused flight very close to the ground. It is frequent in some areas of Trás-os-Montes, such as the Natural Park of Montesinho.

  • Spring and Summer

  • The Montagu's Harrier feeds on small prey, such as mammals, birds, reptiles and insects.

  • The Portuguese population of this species is estimated to be between 500 and 1000 reproducing females.